


A Legendary Interchange

by EstaJay



Series: Every Headcanon and the Kitchen Sink [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover with Royal Links, Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Royal Links AU, We have a grand total of 18 Links running around, what I'll call the soft intro to the AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-07-27 16:11:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20048869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EstaJay/pseuds/EstaJay
Summary: When Time goes to wake Legend up, it isn't their Legend he finds.Meanwhile, the Hero of Legend finds himself in a world where he is supposedly king.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Warrior’s Instinct](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19993693) by [Imaginative_Wanderings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imaginative_Wanderings/pseuds/Imaginative_Wanderings). 

> What better way to introduce an AU than to play compare and contrast?  
Imaginative_Wanderings' fic (link above) inspired me to do a tie-in/soft introduction for the Royals AU and it acts as sort of a prologue/introduction to this fic - check it out!  
Otherwise, some quick context: the heroes are staying in Legend's Hyrule Castle, Fable is the nickname for Legend's Zelda and also his twin sister.

Time was a simple man but he wouldn't deny the luxury when it presented itself. Being able to sleep in a comfortable bed without fear of himself or any of his wards being attacked in the night was something that he would gladly accept. 

He woke up that morning feeling the most refreshed he had been since they had left Lon Lon Ranch. Twilight was still asleep in other bed but by the time he had gotten dressed, his descendant (he was going to have descendants!) had begun to stir.

"Still such an early riser, old man." Twilight yawned. 

"Given your upbringing, I would have expected the same from you." Time said.

Twilight groaned and buried himself further into the soft sheets. "I rise with the sun, not before it. Plus, I would like to enjoy this royally soft bed for as long as I can before we return to sleeping on the cold hard ground."

Time grinned and ruffled Twilight's hair on the way to the door. "Don't stay in bed too long, pup. Be sure to check on the others once you've woken up properly. We don't want to be leaving her grace with too much property damage."

"You worry too much, old man." Twilight said with a sleepy smirk. "Momma Wild will keep all his boys in line."

Ah yes. Momma Wild.

Time appreciated the young hero becoming the emotional centre of their group, goddesses knew they needed one with all their collective traumas, but a part of Time couldn't help but feel guilty. Yes, Wild had taken the role of 'den mother' on his own accord but Time knew that the boy was still working through his own troubled past. To take on the emotional burden of the rest of the cohort was a monumental yet admirable task. 

That was why Time was up so early - to see their local princling. 

Legend's reveal that he and his Zelda were siblings had caught even him off-guard. Time knew it was unintentional but he had seen how Legend's blaise attitude to his heritage had deeply affected Warriors.

Though Wild had taken Warriors aside the previous night, Time had to see how the other side of the affair was going. If the boys were going to dub him a parent of their group, he might as well start acting like one. 

The servants were kind enough to direct him to Legend's room - or rather, Legend's quarters. Being the brother of the queen did afford him some privileges after all.

Time had barely rapped on the door to the bedchambers when he heard a crash and groan. 

"I'm up! I'm up, old man!" He heard Legend cry from the other side of the door. "I'll be dressed in a minute,  _ don't you dare throw that damned cat in here _ ."

_ Cat? _

Writing the comment off as early morning nonsense, Time awkwardly stood by the couch in the extravagant parlour. It was comparatively modest to other royal parlours he had been in but he still couldn't feel out of place among all the finery. 

Legend emerged from his bedchamber still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes...and looking rather overdressed. It was in a similar style to his normal clothing, a red doublet over a green tunic and a distinct lack of any pants, but Time couldn't help but note the amount of shiny golden buttons on the former or the intricate patterns on the latter. Additionally he was wearing a blue embroidered robe that was customary of Hylian kings.

In return, Time found that Legend was also gawking at him. 

"You're dressed rather...casually today, old man." Legend said. "Is it vacation time already?"

"...pardon? Do you...expect me to be wearing... more?" Time asked haltingly. 

Legend shot him an annoyed look. "After all the crap you gave me about appearances? Fuck yes! Did I mess up my dates again?" He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Goddesses, Freebird is still in Lorule which means that we're stuck with Wild advising while you're away...fuck."

Time was thoroughly confused. "...but I'm not going anywhere?"

"Then why are you dressed like that?!" Legend exclaimed, making a wide gesture at Time's casual attire. "The only reason I can think of for you dressing so plainly is either you're heading home or heading into combat!"

"I am planning on wearing my armour later, sire." Time said with a mocking bow. He had no clue what had gotten into Legend this morning. Had one night in his home Hyrule messed with his head that much?

Legend paled. "Fuck, did someone get actually kidnapped? Who was it, how long have they been missing and why are we just fucking standing here talking?!"

Time moved to place a comforting hand of Legend's shoulder. "To my knowledge, no one had been kidnapped. We'll be meeting everyone for breakfast."

Legend immediately relaxed but he still eyed Time suspiciously. "You're being rather bold today." Then he sighed and swept pass Time with several fluid and oddly graceful steps. "C'mon, might as well get this circus underway. If you're fine dressing like that then it ain't my fault if the nobles throw a fit. You can nag me about today's schedule after breakfast. I'm starving."

Time followed behind Legend to the Great Hall, just barely keeping up with his brisk pace and staying several steps behind him.

They entered the Great Hall to find that the others had already settled themselves in. A long table with a lavish spread of breakfast foods was set in the middle of the room. Wind had a plate piled high with food and was eating with such lack of table manners that would make any onlooking noble turn their nose in disgust. Hyrule beside him was eating in a slower and more proper manner but was still shoveling down food with the same gusto as Wind. Sky and Four were pacing themselves at on the opposite side of the table while sharing quiet conversation while Wild was conversing with one of the serving maids about the breakfast recipes. Twilight seemed rather comfortable casually chatting with Fable at the head of the table though Warriors to his side still appeared rather stiff and uncertain of his surroundings. 

It was nothing too out of the ordinary as far as Time was concerned by but Legend stopped in the doorway, staring at the scene with wide eyes.

Fable was the first to notice them. "You're rather over-dressed, brother." She said with a quirked eyebrow. "Are you planning on joining me in the meetings?"

"...the fuck are you doing here Fable?" Legend said slowly. "You're supposed to be in Labrynna. Better question, why the fuck is the entire damn court here?"

That brought any conversations to a screeching halt. 

"Court?" Hyrule said. "What court?"

Legend scowled. "Don't play dumb with me. What the fuck is going on?"

Before anyone could say a word Legend started walking, making his way up the Hall, and stopped before Warriors. He had his arms crossed and furrow in his brow with a deep scowl set on his lips. It wasn't too different from Legend's normal annoyed glare but there was something...imposing, almost regal about him now. 

Warriors immediately got out of his seat and stood straight to attention.

Wild couldn't help but sigh. All the progress for getting Warriors to relax had gone down the drain thanks to how weirdly Legend was acting.

"Yo-your grace." Warriors stuttered. 

Legend kept a scrutinizing eye on the knight. "Is this another one of Warriors' bastard siblings?"

There was a collective choking sound from everyone in the room. 

"Legend...that is Warriors..." Wild said slowly. 

"Huh." Legend said, leaning back slightly. His gaze turned from criticizing to curious and Warriors visibly exhaled. "So that's why Fable was called in? Because the Lord Commander lost a couple decades?"

"Lord Commander?!" Warriors exclaimed, his posture breaking completely. "Me?! But - how -?" 

Then it clicked for Time. 

"You're not our Legend, are you?" Time stated. 

"And you're not my court." the not-Legend said with a groan. "It's too damn early for this magic bullshit."

"Who are you then?" Hyrule asked. 

"Me? I go by Legend because that's a hell less confusing given my damn court...but if you want full titles..." He straightened his posture and fixed his gaze upward. "I am King Link Canvalure Hyrule, first of my name and thoroughly confused about what is fucking going on."

There was a stifling tension after the other Legend, King Link, had made his declaration. 

Breakfast was still in session and it would be a waste for all the food to go to waste but all their appetites had severely diminished. 

None of the previous conversations had restarted once the king joined them for breakfast nor was there the same enthusiasm that came with trying out all the different food. The heroes were slowly picking away at their meal as if it was one of Hyrule's dubious concoctions and not the best the castle kitchens could offer.

The king had taken the seat to Fable's right, directly opposite Warriors. The knight had stiffly returned to his seat but his eyes were fixed down on his empty plate and he made no move to get any more food. 

The other heroes, however, watched the king with an odd fascination. Physically, he was identical to their Legend. The appearance, the tone of voice, all the way down to the way he talked. However there were differences that plunged everything into the uncanny valley. His posture was definitely better than their Legend's and he moved with a quiet grace and elegance, like a shadow dancing along a wall. Meeting the king in the eye would have them challenged with unwavering sternness as if he was looking for any and every possible weakness. If there were any doubts about Legend being a capable royal then the king dispelled them all.

The king seemed to be completely unbothered, making his way through the meal and the ridiculous amount of cutlery with ease but the heroes were all too familiar with Legend's mannerisms. The king was still a Legend and by the twitch in his eyebrow and how tensely he gripped his knife, it was only a matter of time before he snapped from annoyance. 

"So I suppose we should refer to you as 'your grace'?" Wild asked, finally breaking the silence. 

The king swallowed then gave a harsh laugh. "Fuck no. I get enough of that from ass-kissing nobles...but calling me 'Legend' would just be confusing given that you have your Legend." He then paused and looked down the table. "Please don't tell me all of you are named Link as well?"

The king took their silence as an affirmation and groaned. "Of fucking course. That make  _ eighteen _ . Eighteen fucking Links,  _ twenty  _ if you count the goron and the girl...which one of you came first and cursed the rest of them to be named after you?"

At the word curse, Sky flinched. 

The king's gaze fell on him. "So it was you this time, Sky...you're still called Sky, right?"

"Uh yeah." Sky said awkwardly, trying to avoid the king's gaze. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Does that mean you're a kokiri here?" the king asked. 

Down the table, Time nearly spat out his drink.

Sky's faced warped into confusion. "Pardon?"

"Y'know. Kokiri. Immortal forest children that have the gift of prophecy...or is there some sort of other immortal or slow aging race here that I haven't heard of because you definitely look younger compared to everyone else."

"I came first in the timeline...if that's what you mean." Sky said. 

The king stared at him with an utterly blank expression. "Timeline." 

"Yeah! We're all heroes of our own eras!" Wind interjected. 

"From what we've observed, the timeline also branches based on what happens to Time." Four added. "And yet somehow Wild is from the future of all our timelines-"

"Say no more." The king said, rubbing his temple. "I didn't think that things could get anymore complicated but fucking  _ branching and converging timelines _ ...though I'm not surprised that it's all the old man's fault."

Time appeared slightly amused by the king's jab. "If you don't mind me asking, your grace, why are there so many Links in your court?"

The king groaned once again and buried his face in his hands in a distinctly improper manner. "I don't fucking know. Half of you were already there when Time, my Time, dragged me to the castle then the kid I made my heir happened to be named Link and then his personal knight was also fucking named Link-" He pulled his head up and glared at Time. "It's because alternate you just had to save the princess and become a decorated hero and knight so  _ every damn mother _ had to name their kid Link."

"Ah." Time said with an amused smirk. 

"At least some things never change." the king muttered, then he sat back up and returned to his proper posture. "We were talking about nicknames, right? Uh...just call me Rat I guess."

Warriors immediately shot out of his seat. "I mean you no disrespect, your grace, but to call you something so degrading-"

"You saying you haven't called your Legend Rat to his face before?" the king interrupted.

Warriors spluttered. "I - yes, I have...but your grace-"

"At ease, Ser Link, before you make a fool of yourself." The king said, gesturing for Warriors to sit.

Warriors sat back down but his posture remained stiffly straight.

The king sighed to stifle a chuckle. "To think that the Commander would be so jumpy if you shaved a couple decades off him."

"So everyone's older, uh Rat?" Twilight asked.

Warriors to flinch once more.

"We're going to need a different nickname if he keeps doing that." the king said. "But yeah. Hyrule, Wind and Time are about the right age but the rest of you definitely lost some years...Warriors especially."

"How much older is your Warriors?"

"Old. Old enough to be Lord Commander and probably old enough to start going bald..." the king chuckled as his own jabs but then noticed how uncomfortable Warriors was, "...and experienced enough that no other knight in Hyrule can match him in prowess, peerless with the blade, a master in negotiations...he's been in the military for half his life and it shows. I trust the Commander with my life." 

At the praise the king had lauded on his counterpart, Warriors visibly relaxed. The fact that his counterpart was valued by his liege eased some underlying worries in his mind. 

That was another difference between their Legend and the king, he was much quicker to pick up on social cues. 

"Why don't you go by 'Canvalure'?" Four asked. "It's like your noble family name or something, right?"

"Family, yes. Noble, no." The king pulled up his sleeve, revealing a golden brace with a purple eye embedded in the centre, identical to the one their Legend wore. "Canvalure is the name of a Loruliean merchant family."

"Merchant?" 

The king gave a sardonic grin. "Merchant by birth, blacksmith by trade and king only because every other heir was dead."

Once again, silence reigned in the hall.

"Dead?" Hyrule whispered.

Canvalure took in a deep breath and, as if memorized from a textbook, began to recite, "Zelda VI, called Lullaby, died in a hunting accident along with her sister Princess Zelda Aretemis. Zelda VII died of illness which later claimed her daughter, Zelda VIII, called Fable, later that year. Zelda IX and Zelda X, called Dawn, both died of plague. Zelda XI, called Dot, died of illness again. Zelda XII, called Sun, and her sister Princess Zelda Flora both dead due to malfunctioning Sheikah technology..." He leaned forward onto the table and held all the gaze of all the horrified heroes. "They literally had no other options so that's why I'm on the throne." 

The relationship between the princess and their respective heroes was far from consistent between their eras but to hear that their Zelda, in another time and place, was dead - it struck deep. Sky in particular looked nauseous after hearing about how an alternate version of his beloved had died. 

Fable, however, looked completely unperturbed. "If your Fable is dead, how were you able to recognise me let alone claim that I was in Labrynna?" 

With that Canvalure leaned back with a muted chuckle. "All the other heirs are dead - if you look in the official palace records. I bet most, if not all, of them were faked. No one wanted the damn throne so they played kick the bucket until it landed on me."

"So where would they be?" Time asked. 

Canvalure turned to Wind. "Is Tetra still pirate in whatever time you're from?"

A wide smile grew on Wind's face as all the pieces clicked into place. "Oh fuck yeah."


	2. Chapter 2

Legend groaned as he felt sunlight fall across his face. He never really cared much about finery or that other fancy bullshit but there was something nice about being in his own bed after so long on the road. He flipped onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow. It was probably still early, he could grab another hour or so of sleep.

Then there was a loud knock at the door to his bedchamber. 

"Your grace! It is time to awaken! You have been given enough extra sleep as it is."

Was that Time? This was probably the old man's payback for not telling any of them that he was a prince. 

Legend groaned again and pulled his covers over his head. This stay in his Hyrule was going to be relaxing time regardless of what Time insisted. It wasn't like he was expected to hold court or anything. He was just the queen's brother, not her heir or advisor or something. 

The knocking persisted for several minutes before stopping. Legend relaxed and slightly uncurled himself on the bed. Finally Time, got a hint. 

Then the covers were swiftly pulled off him. Time was standing over his bed with the covers in his hand and that infamous neutral look of displeasure across his face. 

"Good morning your grace." Time said stiffly. 

Legend sat up and glared at him. "What gives Time? Don't tell me your fucking planning to have us train at the asscrack of dawn and-" then he stopped as he got a proper look at the old hero.

Time wasn't dressed in his casual wear or even his armour but in what could only be described as formal court attire with puffed sleeves striped in black and dark green and a muted grey tunic with silver embroidery. Legend recognised the deceivingly simple golden chain around his neck as a symbol of a royal advisor.

Why the fuck was Time dressed like a royal advisor?

Before Legend could as much as get a word out, the old man noticed his confusion first. 

"I assume that you are not the king." Time deadpanned, though his brow twitched erratically and his facial markings (weren’t they supposed to be on only one side of his face?) subtly shifted and swirled. 

Legend was slightly flabbergasted. "Why the fuck would I be king?" 

"Goddesses why have you cursed me so? Is a normal week too much to ask for?" Time (not-Time?) muttered, throwing his head to the ceiling. He then turned back to Legend with a look of utter defeat. "I am Link of Lon Lon Ranch, known as Time in the royal court and serving as the head advisor of King Link, first of his name. May I inquire who you might be?"

"Link, Hero of Legend - though I just go by Legend nowadays." Legend said, eyeing this...Advisor Time suspiciously. He seemed mostly the same to the Hero of Time Legend was familiar with, down to his connection to Lon Lon Ranch. However, this Time radiated an air of unadulterated tiredness and stress. "You seem to be taking the disappearance of your king rather well."

The advisor sighed. "This is unfortunately a common occurrence at court. The novelty has long since worn off - but we must soldier on. Do you, perhaps, remember anything...odd or peculiar happening before awakening?"

"Nope." Legend said. "Just arrived at the castle with my...travelling party, went to bed and then woke up in an entirely different Hyrule."

The advisor's brow furrowed in frustration. Legend was sure if he wasn't trying to be so formal, the man would have been banging his head against the closest solid object. "...please tell me you have some experience in statecraft."

"The closest I've come to state affairs is rescuing the princess and killing demon pigs." Legend raised a brow at the advisor. "You're not planning to have me run the government while I'm here or something, are you?"

"Not if you are completely inexperienced." The advisor said. He straightened his posture and threw the covers back on the bed. "I will need to sort out the state of affairs. In the meantime, Hero of Legend, to deeply urge you not to leave these quarters until then."

Then the advisor swept out of the room, muttering something about birds and shadows. The door closed behind him and Legend was alone awkwardly sitting in a pile of crumpled sheets.

What the fuck just happened?

Legend considered going back to sleep and hope that this was all some fever dream but no - if this was really another ridiculously vivid dream, the only way to solve this was to wake another stupid fucking fish.

Reluctantly, Legend crawled out of bed. The bedchamber was identical to his one at home, filled with the exact same trinkets with clothing strewn haphazardly around every piece of furniture. Had the advisor not walked in, he wouldn't have guessed he had been spontaneously teleported to another Hyrule in his sleep. 

At least the other him, a  _ fucking king _ , had a similar taste in fashion. Goddesses knew he wasn't going to be running around in frilly collars and floor length robes. Though his clothing options were simple, they were obviously of higher quality and intricate design of what he normally wore. He chose what looked like riding gear - a green leather tunic with a brown doublet with more buttons that he would have thought physically possible. Not that he was complaining, buttons were awesome. He would be severely underdressed if he joined the court but he would definitely stick out like a lost noble if he were to go out onto the streets. 

The sound of squeaking caught his attention and Legend shifted through the piles of clothes to find a white rat. The rat didn't run away or bite when he went to pick it up but instead scurried up his arm and settled itself inside his collar. It must be the other him's pet. At least he would be alone while waiting here. 

"Wonder what other me named you..." Legend said, scratching the rat under its chin and earning him happy squeaking sounds. "...but he's probably off screwing with everyone else's head so I'll call you whatever I want. I might even end up picking the same name, right Button?"

There was a crash and a person tumbled through the window. Button retreated further into his tunic as Legend grabbed the closest potential weapon, a candlestick, and prepared himself for an attack. 

"That could have gone better." The person groaned, sitting up carefully to avoid the broken glass. He turned to him and Legend recognised him instantly - it was Wind. "Morning your royal rattiness. Time let you sleep in today?"

Legend returned the candlestick and helped Wind, the other Wind (fuck he was going to have to come up with new names for all the doppelgangers, wasn't he?), up out of the glass. "Mind telling me why you decided to enter via the window?"

The other Wind shrugged. "Ah y'know, the usual." He said dusting off his blue vest and straightening his white long sleeved shirt. 

From the distance, Legend heard the scrambling of guards and cries of "THIEF!"

Legend crossed his arms and raised a brow at the boy. "The usual?"

"Yeah," Thief Wind said without the slightest hint of shame. "...though I think Warriors might actually hang me for this one."

"Uh huh." Legend said, trying to appear as casual as possible. This Wind didn't know that he wasn't his king and he didn't want to risk a violent reaction at this point. At least there seemed to be another Warriors in this Hyrule as well - so it was safe to assume that there would be alternate versions of all the other heroes too. "I'm assuming that's only if he catches you first."

"A very big if." Wind smirked. "Hey! If you're still here, that probably means that you don't have anything on today right?" 

Well, that was one way to put being spatially displaced. "Pretty much." 

"Awesome! Why don't we head into the city and-" 

There was a knock at the door. "Your grace, pardon the intrusion but may we come in?"

Legend nodded at Thief Wind who took this as a cue to dive under his bed.

Legend opened the door to find a pair of frazzled royal guards. "What seems to be the matter?" He asked. 

"Our apologies, your grace, but someone had broken into the royal treasury and we believe that the thief might have entered into your chambers."

"It was Wind again, wasn't it?" Legend ventured. He might as well test how accurate his assumptions were about this new Hyrule.

Both guards gave a tired sigh of affirmation. "The Commander won't be pleased after his most recent stunt."

Legend waved them off. "I'll deal with it. Just return to your posts."

"But your grace, the Commander was adamant that his- the thief be brought directly to him - that he would finally pay for his transgressions."

Legend gave a tired nod but internally he was panicking. 

_ Pay for his transgressions.  _ He may not take an active part in government but he knew the laws intimately. If they were anything like the ones at home, they were not kind to repeated acts of theft - especially of royal property. More than once he had seen someone lose their hand, or their  _ life,  _ as punishment for larceny. Maybe he was leaping to conclusions but he wasn't going to hand the kid over to his possible death. 

"I'll deal with this." Legend repeated. "If the Commander has any qualms, he can come straight to me."

Legend closed the door behind him and Wind crawled out from under the bed. 

"You didn't have to do that, your royal rattiness." But the boy sighed in relief and Legend knew he made the right choice. 

"You said something about going into the city?"

The advisor had said not the leave the quarters but it was just a suggestion, not an order. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

* * *

Legend had seen many iterations of Castletown but this one was definitely the largest he had ever seen. From the bedchamber window he had seen the houses sprawl out for miles, so far that he could barely make out the city limits near the horizon. Now that he was actually on the streets, the size made a whole lot more sense. 

This Castletown was filled with people and not just Hylians. There wasn't much racial diversity in his Hyrule but travelling to the others had introduced him to a multitude of new friendly races. He recognised the bulky form of Gorons and the towering Gerudo. There were variations of Rito and Zora that he had seen from both Wind and Wild's Hyrule and he was certain he saw the Lorulean crest on some of the dark-haired travellers. 

Thief Wind lead him through the Market District (which honestly could have been a town in its own right) by arm, expertly weaving and ducking through crowds of people as well as pocketing a little something from some of the stalls they passed. Legend made note of each one to make sure that they would be compensated later. He couldn't do much about the boy's stick finger tendencies but the least he could do was make sure someone's business wasn't too badly affected. 

"So where are we headed?" Legend asked. 

"The theatre hall!" Wind called. "Today's Sky's day off and aren't you curious to see what he does in his spare time?"

That sounded like an invasion of privacy but it didn't sound too drastic or malicious. While he was stuck here, he might as well meet all the other versions of the heroes. 

Legend couldn't help but notice how casual this Wind was around him. Unlike Advisor Time who acted as formal and professional as he could be given the circumstances, Thief Wind treated him the same way the Hero of Wind did despite the Legend of this Hyrule being the king. It was a relief, honestly, that he wouldn't have to deal with the others acting like complete sticks-in-the-mud or ass-kissers - or at least, not all of them. 

As they turned the corner circular building came into view, its walls bleached white save for the criss-crossing wooden support beams which remained unpainted, towering over all its neighbours. So this was the theatre hall, eh?

The theatre hall was apparently a popular place judging by the amount of people lining up at the entrance. A small booth had been set up opposite the door where a young boy was yelling, "Tickets for 'The Queen and the Kokiri'! Tickets for 'The Queen and the Kokiri'! Written and arranged by the Bard! Limited seats remaining!"

Of course, they didn't go through the front entrance. Wind lead Legend around to the back of the building and began picking at the back door lock. Highly illegal? Almost certainly. But then again, he was never against a little law breaking here and there. 

Wind, like the little rogue he was, had the door unlocked quickly and efficiently. The backstage was bustling with performers and stagehands so it was easy to slip through unnoticed in the chaos. 

"Do you have any idea where Sky might be?" Legend asked as they escaped the hustle of the lower levels to the quieter hallways above.

"Nope." Wind said with a pop. "We just walk around until we find him napping somewhere."

"And if we get caught?"

"We run like hell."

Yeah regardless of iteration, Wind was definitely his favourite.

They peeked through the cracks of each door looking for the familiar, or semi-familiar, form of Sky. Working down the hall, they found that most were the rooms were empty, though some held actors midway through preparation or going over their lines. There was one memorable room where Legend spied a couple being...quite intimate. He quickly left that one alone.

Soon, they had checked every room in the hallway and hadn't seen a hint of Sky.

"He could be on stage." Legend suggested. 

Wind pouted. "I was hoping we could find him to get free tickets to the show. 'The Queen and the Kokiri' is one of my favourite stories and I really wanted to see the stage play."

"If that’s the case, we could have bought tickets outside,” Legend pointed out, “or just sneak in and watch it now."

"But that would be boring and I don't want to be running from guards in the middle of the show." Wind whined. 

"You could have just asked friends and I would have happily provided." Came a voice as the door they were standing before opened.

"Sky!" Wind grinned as the man stepped out into the corridor. 

This man was unmistakably Sky but he was more obviously different from the Hero of Sky that Legend was familiar with. He was definitely older, appearing somewhere in his twenties rather than his late teens. He had longer hair tied back into a short ponytail and a red scarf wound around his neck.

And Legend was certain that he had checked the room the other Sky had come out of. It had been empty.

"It's a pleasure to see you little thief, your grace." the other Sky said airily with a sweeping bow. 

That was another thing about this Sky. The Hero of Sky may have come from the clouds but this one obviously had his head still stuck in them. 

"Sky! Sky! I heard that you were the one who wrote the play!" Wind said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

Sky absently hummed. "I didn't write it, I simply appropriated it. 'The Queen and the Kokiri' is a mythologized retelling of the deeds of Queen Zelda Dinnra after all...who knows, I might have a play based on another royal in the near future."

His gaze fell on Legend and he couldn't help but feel that the bard was bearing into his soul.

"Wait...you're writing a play based on the court!" Wind exclaimed. 

"You're a perceptive little one." Sky said. "Yes, the tales of King Link will be quite the comedy...not to show you any disrespect, your grace." 

"Uh...none taken." Legend said awkwardly. 

Sky then passed a piece of paper to Wind. "Why don't you head over to my box, you've broken in here enough times to know where it is." There was no malice in his voice, only detached amusement. "There is something that I wish to talk about with our king."

"Okay!" Wind said, running off. 

Legend watched as the boy disappeared down the hallway. Just as he was about to turn to face the other Sky, he felt a knife pressed against his throat. 

"I know you're not the king." Sky said darkly, his tone solid and unwavering. "Who are you and what have you done with him?"

Legend was fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, very familiar with this situation. He roughly elbowed Sky in the ribs. The bard instinctually flinched and the knife slightly dropped from his neck. Legend then pulled his forearm up to knock away his opponent’s armed hand while attempting to put some distance between them while drawing his own knife. 

This Sky, however, was just as fast if not faster than his counterpart. As soon as Legend had knocked the knife out Sky's hand, his other pushed into the small of the hero’s back and forced him to the ground. Legend was able to roll away before Sky could pin him but in one swift movement his opponent had retrieved his fallen knife and was once again on his feet and ready to attack. 

On the opposite side of the hallway, Legend too was upright with his knife ready. The blade hadn't pierced his skin but he could feel the bruise forming on his side. 

There was a sternness is Sky's eyes that Legend had seen before in the heat of battle. Any hint of gentleness was gone and in its place was a stoniness and severity that Legend never wished to be on the receiving end of.

"You don't feel like Yiga or Gerudo... and you're not using any glamour." Sky said.

"I don't mean you any harm." Legend said, though he didn't relax his stance. 

"But you're skilled in combat." Sky but he didn't rush in for another attack. 

"I didn't do anything to your king." Legend insisted. "I just magically found myself here this morning in your king's place. Ask Advisor Time! He knows!"

The building slightly shook as the doors of the hall opened below. The lanterns hanging from the ceiling wavered and shadows danced along the walls. 

Sky's eyes widened but his stance didn't waver in any other way. "...who are you?"

"I'm Link, known as the Hero of Legend...and I know another you: the Chosen Hero or the Hero of Skyloft."

With that, the other Sky's posture relaxed though his gaze had yet to soften. "You know of Skyloft."

"I know of many places and have been to many of them." Legend responded, relaxing his own stance and sheathing his knife as a gesture of goodwill. "Legends are kinda my thing."

"Skyloft has long since faded from legends." the other Sky stated, but he sheathed his knife as well. "I'll trust your word for now."

Legend gave a wry smile. "That's all I ask for now."

Finally, Sky smiled again. Any hint of previous aggression had completely vanished. "I should introduce myself then. I am Link Summerset, called Sky, playwright and humble bard of the King's Court. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

This other Sky claimed to just be a bard but he was obviously more than that. Spontaneous attacks aside, Legend could see in the way he moved that he was just as much of a trained fighter as any of the heroes he had travelled with. 

They could have walked in comfortable silence on their way to the box but Legend wasn't going to stay quiet after they were just at each other's throats.

"So...you would write your king's court as a comedy?"

The bard smiled. "You haven't seen our full court."

"Oh I've seen enough of it. An overly-stressed advisor, a mischievous little thief, a bard like you...I'm just surprised that you'd have the balls to want to write something like that."

"If you were my king, would have you allowed it?"

"Of fucking course! If anything just to see how the others would react."

Sky gave a pleased yet non-committal hum. "It was actually a commission from the king."

"Really?"

"Yes. I believe his exact words were 'this court is such a fucking circus that it might as well be a goddamn stageplay'!"

"So he has no clue." Legend smirked.

The bard mirrored his grin. "None at all."


	3. Chapter 3

After a semi-awkward breakfast, everyone was left to their own devices in the castle. Fable had taken the not-Legend, Canvalure, the  _ king _ , to her private workshop to inspect the residue magic in hopes of finding the key to getting their own Legend back. 

**They are in the most easily defensible part of the castle. There are many hidden exits to get the royals out safely should there be an attack.**

Sky, as now customary, had gone off to find the highest peak of the castle to take a midday nap. The highest peak was often the roof of the tallest tower, scaring any servants who happen to find him.

**Sky is too trusting. Exploit that. If he just happens to 'accidentally' roll off the roof in his sleep and fall to his death then that would simply be unfortunate.**

Four had gone down to the castle forge, half to repair any of the group's broken weapons (most of them being Wild's) and half to criticize or praise the work of the royal blacksmith.

**Four always gets lost in his work. Separate him from the Four Sword and he should be easy to take out.**

Twilight had decided to ride his Epona around the surrounding fields and Time had joined him with a borrowed horse. 

**Try to attack them from afar. Make sure to knock out one before approaching the other. ** ** _Do not_ ** ** try taking them both on at the same time. They are too in synch and coordinated.**

Hyrule and Wind had joined Wild in raiding the castle kitchens. Luckily, Fable gave the poor chefs a warning ahead of time.

**They'll be in a small enclosed space, a disadvantage to all of them. Take Wild out first then go for Hyrule before he has a chance to react then for Wind-**

Warriors gulped and adjusted his scarf. He needed to clear his head. He went to the castle training grounds.

There was something calming about running drills. He let his body relax as he went through the practised movements. They were so deeply ingrained in him at this point that he could just let muscle memory take over while he let his mind wander. 

Left foot. Right foot. 

Side-step. Step-back.

Dodge. Swipe. 

Jab. Stab. Slice.

**Aim for the neck, it's the most vulnerable.**

**Aim for the chest, even if you miss the heart you'll hit something vital. **

Warriors landed the killing strike on his imaginary opponent, pausing for a moment as his blade fell to the ground. 

**He feels the blood splatter on his clothes. The final desperate pleas for mercy still ring in his ears.**

** His damn notebook burns in the fire but the damage is already done. It’s too late for him to change. He’s already hurt his fellows heroes, nearly caused their deaths - not that they had realised it...yet. **

"I am so glad that we are on the same side Captain."

Warriors sheathed his sword and scrambled to salute in one frantic yet practise motion. "Your grace!" He said, turning to the direction where he had heard Legend's, no the king's, voice. 

The king was sitting on the edge of one of the lower castle turrets, swinging his legs over the edge. He was no longer dressed in the court fineries from breakfast but instead wore Legend's standard travel clothes with the obnoxious blue cap and all. 

The king leap from his seat and landed on the ground in a graceful crouch. He stood and faced Warriors with his arms crossed and a scowl. This was exactly how Legend showed his annoyance. A part of him wanted to relax and fall back into their standard banter but another reminded him that Legend, this one or his one, was royalty regardless.

"At ease, Captain." the king said. "Or is it Colonel? You could be either, Warriors moved up the hierarchy so damn fast."

Though the king was mumbling to himself, Warriors couldn't help but feel intimidated by his counterpart's reputation. A Colonel at his age when the average was easily three times older? 

"It's just captain, your majesty." Warriors said, stumbling over his words more than he liked. 

The king raised an eyebrow at him. Fuck, he picked up on it. Was he going to get repremanded?

The king sighed. "Look, if you won't call me Rat then at least call me Canvalure. I ain't the king of this Hyrule."

"But a king doesn't stop being a king upon leaving his borders." Warriors protested.

"But I'm asking you to call me something else."

Warriors stiffened again. "Of course...Canvalure." He said, complying with the king's order request.

"Dammit." The king - Canvalure, growled. "Why are you acting like that?"

"Acting like what...sir?"

"Like I'm going to fucking cut your head off at the wrong word!"

"You could very well order it." Warriors snarked, then his mind caught up with his mouth. "My apologies! I-"

"Spar with me."

"What?"

Canvalure drew his sword - Legend's sword. "You heard correctly. Spar with me."

"But it isn't proper that I-"

"Then it's not a fucking request."

Canvalure rushed at him and pure instinct had Warriors draw his own sword to block the incoming blade. 

**It would have been so easy to overpower him. Just from the strike he could tell that Canvalure wasn't as strong as his Legend. It would be so easy to push back. He would stumble off balance. He would be completely open. It would be so easy to pierce through his chest...**

Warriors placed a foot behind him to balance out his stance. Canvalure leapt away, placing a good metre or so between them, and entered a casual but defensive battle stance.

Canvalure smirked. "Heh, your reaction time is better than the Commander's."

Warriors' eyes widened at the praise. "Re-really?"

"Last time I pulled that on the Commander, he didn't have the time to draw his sword. Still couldn't hit him though."

Canvalure frivolously tossed his sword upward. It spun in the air-

Legend always tries to make his foes underestimate him. He has some formal training but his style is unorthodox yet effective-

He caught it by the hilt and, in a fluid movement, used the momentum to fling his sword at Warriors. 

Warriors parried the flying blade, sending it all the way to the opposite side of the training ground. 

"That wasn't so smart, throwing your weapon-"

But Canvalure wasn't in front of him any more. 

Warriors spun around just in time to deflect a knife coming from behind. 

"Definitely faster than the Commander." Canvalure said.

Warriors failed to suppress his grin. "Call it the winds of youth."

Warriors pushed back on their crossed blades and Canvalure once again leapt backwards rather than let Warriors overpower him. His combat style definitely had a lot more jumping and movement compared to Legend's but then again, Legend often took the position of ranged support in the group and rarely went for melee combat.

Canvalure made a dash for his fallen blade but Warriors easily intercepted, once again crossing his sword with the knife. 

"You really shouldn't have thrown your sword." Warriors took a step forward, placing even more weight on his opponent. 

Canvalure grimaced but Warriors saw the amusement dancing in his eyes. "Just wanted to see if there was any merit to Wild's mad tactics."

Then he swept his foot under Warriors, knocking him off balance to break the hold. As Warriors stumbled to regain his footing, Canvalure retrieved his sword and now held both blades in a lopsided dual-wielding stance. 

Warriors laughed. "You really think you can fight with both blades like that?"

"Nope."

Warriors anticipated Canvalure's knife throw. He moved to dodge but the blade snagged at his scarf, pinning him in place and leaving him open for Canvalure's charge.

Just barely, Warriors was able to block it. He steadied his stance with a step backward then pushed his full weight onto his opponent. Canvalure wasn't expecting to be blocked and fell to the ground. Warriors kicked the sword out of his hand then held his own to his neck. 

"I win." Warriors said smugly. 

Canvalure grinned up at him. "Would have been disappointed otherwise."

Warriors sheathed his sword and helped Canvalure back to his feet. It had been too long since he had a good spar. Canvalure surprisingly skilled but then again, his Zelda had taught him not to underestimate the combat capabilities to royalty-

Shit.

The adrenaline immediately wore off and Warriors paled. 

"Oh no. Don't you fucking dare fall back on formalities now, pretty boy." Canvalure scowled. "I didn't get my ass kicked for you to freeze up on me again."

Despite himself, Warriors scoffed. "That was far from one sided."

"Exactly. I wanted you to see me as your equal, not your king."

_ 'Don’t forget you’re not my subordinate. We’re brothers, remember.' _

Warriors gave a tired smile. "You're a rat through and through."

"And don't you fucking forget it." Canvalure grinned. 

"So why did you seek me out?" Warriors asked. "There are almost a dozen other people you could have seen, why me?"

Canvalure sighed and his entire posture slumped. "I need your council."

"My council?" Warriors said, completely shocked. 

"Yes.Your council. It's that...I just-" Canvalure sighed again. "I always went to my Warriors if I needed to talk to anyone and...I hoped that you would be the same-" Then he gulped and quickly turned away. "No, I shouldn't burden you with my emotional bullshit. I apologize for interrupting your training Captain-"

But when Canvalure moved to leave, Warriors grabbed his arm. 

"I'd be honoured." Warriors said with a gentle smile. "I'm just surprised, that's all. Normally we go to momma-"

Canvalure snorted. "Momma? Which poor fuck ended up with that nickname?"

"Wild."

" _ Wild _ ?!" Canvalure broke out into hysterical laughter. "Wild. Ser 'burn the castle down', the reckless bastard who killed a moblin with a fucking flaming spoon, one half of all the court's headaches - he's the den mother in another unvierse?!" And he bent down, doubled over and in tears. "Sorry. Sorry. I mean your Wild no disrespect, it's just that...if you knew Ser Link of Hateno, 'momma' is the last thing you would be calling him."

Warriors felt more amused than offended on Wild's behalf. "There's a story there."

"Wild is a fucking bard's tale in the making." Canvalure grinned, finally catching his breath and righting himself. "I won't deny it. He's a good listener with a bigger mothering instinct than a brooding cucco but he's always off adventuring with Hyrule and there's no way that I'm tearing those two apart..."

Warriors swallowed the words protesting that he was unworthy that his hands were too bloody to be of the king's council and asked, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I dunno. I forgot." Canvalure said, leaning back on his heels. 

Warriors was dumbfounded. "You came all this way...and forgot?"

Canvalure crossed his arms and scowled. "I'm sorry that I couldn't remember my heaping woes when you tell me about the greatest impossibility...why don't we just talk until the depressing shit comes out." Then he unceremoniously plopped himself down in the dirt. 

Warriors took a seat beside him. "So what now?"

"What's all the bullshit about the 'Hero's Spirit'?" Canvalure asked. "Is it some sort of reincarnation cycle? The other Fable tried explaining to me earlier but it just sounds like a lot of divine punishment."

Fuck of all the things for him to ask-

Warriors gulped and tried to explain without his voice wavering. "Whenever Hyrule encounters a time of great peril, a hero emerges to right wrongs and vanquish evil. Throughout history, they have preserved the peace whenever the Curse of Demise manifests itself to torment the world - even when the timeline fractured...or reconverged."

Canvalure hummed along. "Why do I get the feeling that you're excluding yourself from that legacy?"

Warriors finally cracked. 

He threw back his head with a sardonic laugh. "Because I'm not like the others. I didn't slay monsters or aid a town or rescue a princess. I fought in a bloody brutal war." The words spewed out without restraint. Thoughts that had tormented him for so long gushed out. "I've killed people. Not just monsters but fellow human beings. Half the army turned traitor and I killed them. Men and women I grew up with, trained with, called brother and sister - I slaughtered them. Even now I, I-"

The words clogged his throat.  _ Even now I expect one of the others to betray me. I'm always planning. Always scheming just in case- _

"So you're a war hero." Canvalure said bluntly. 

Warriors turned to Canvalure but found no judgement, no anger, no pity. It was a regal sternness, one he had seen too many times on his Zelda.

"There are two heroes of our time in my kingdom." Canvalure said, locking his eyes with Warriors'. "There's Time, Link of Lon Lon Ranch - a literal nobody until he rescued a princess and was honoured with glories and knighthood and all that other crap. Then there's Warriors, Link Bhelyster - legitimized bastard and youngest Lord Commander in the history of Hyrule. He fought lead the armies in the wars against Lorule, dealt with the border skirmishes with Gerudo, supressed peasant and noble uprisings while the royal family went through a fucking two decades long succession crisis. Time's work as hero was done moment he brought the princess back to safety, hell, he fucked off to a farm for a couple years because he couldn't deal with the pressure. Warriors' was never done. Even now he has to deal with lives like currency in order to stomp out the latest rebellion. He's a war hero through and through...but does that make him anything lesser?"

"...no." Warriors said. 

"Does that make you anything lesser?"

The word choked in his throat.

"Well?"

"No."

Canvalure nodded, relaxing out of the regality. "Then don't go around treating yourself like a damn monster. You had different battles to fight with a different way of solving things."

"And if I'm planning and preparing for if any of the others to betray me?" Warriors countered. 

"Then you all sit down and fucking talk about how traumatized you are."

"Talk...that's it?" It sounded so simple that it was surreal...but it made a ridiculous amount of sense. 

Canvalure scoffed. "It's not Shiekah technology."

"But what about our secrets?"

"If you trust each other enough, you'll share them....Hylia knows that no secrets have survived in my damn court."

It felt like a weight was lifted from his chest. Warriors wouldn't be talking with the others any time soon, it was still too raw for that - especially so soon after that incident, but to know that the solution to all this was something as simple as talking...

It was a relief.

"Your Hyrule is lucky to have you for a king." Warriors said.

But then he saw the confidence melt away from Canvalure's face as shame and dismay took its place. 

Ah.

"You finally remembered what you want to talk about?" Warriors asked.

Canvalure abruptly stood up. "I'm not going to let a fucking magic diary determine my worth." He mumbled before making his way to the exit. 

Warriors scrambled to his feet. "Hey! Wait-"

But by the time he had entered the corridor, Canvalure was gone. There were no echoes of footsteps, no tracks of dust. It was like he had been swallowed by the stone walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof...it's been a while since I last updated this fic. It wasn't supposed to be this long between updates - I realised while writing some of the later chapters that I forgot to foreshadow some stuff so I expanded out 'Hold In Trust' to act as a prequel but that fic got waaay longer than that and now I've got some more ideas that I want to shove between the end of Hold In Trust and the beginning of Interchange so there's no use holding off on updating this anymore. There might not be an update at all next week because none of the drafts I have are quite ready for posting and I don't have the time for editing.


End file.
